{"id":1263975,"date":"2025-04-04T23:13:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T23:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/?p=1263975"},"modified":"2025-04-04T23:13:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T23:13:00","slug":"hailey-okulas-husband-discusses-her-death-memory-shes-my-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/hailey-okulas-husband-discusses-her-death-memory-shes-my-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"Hailey Okula\u2019s Husband Discusses Her Death, Memory: \u2018She\u2019s My Hero\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nursing influencer Hailey Okula<\/strong>\u2019s husband, Matthew Okula<\/a><\/strong>, is trying his best to turn his pain into purpose.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Fire Department engineer\u2019s life was turned upside down when his wife died from an amniotic fluid embolism<\/a> (AFE) after giving birth to their first child, son Crew. She was 33.<\/p>\n

\u201cHailey was more than I could have ever dreamed of in a wife and partner,\u201d\u00a0 Matthew wrote via Instagram<\/a> on Tuesday, April 1, when confirming his wife\u2019s passing. \u201cShe was gorgeous, smart, hardworking, passionate, trustworthy and above all else, unbelievably loyal.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Matthew processes the sudden loss, the firefighter is remembering his wife\u2019s greatest attributes while also speaking out about AFE<\/a> in hopes of bringing awareness, funding and research.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Late Nursing Influencer Hailey Okula\u2018s Quotes About Fertility Journey<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tNursing influencer Hailey Okula had been candid about her pregnancy journey before her sudden death in childbirth. Hailey\u2019s husband, Matthew Okula, confirmed in April 2025 that the registered nurse had died following \u201ccomplications during childbirth.\u201d Shortly before Hailey\u2019s passing, she and Matthew welcomed their first baby, newborn son Crew. \u201cHailey\u2019s strength was unparalleled. Words can\u2019t [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Through tears, he spoke to Us Weekly<\/i> on Friday, April 4, for an emotional and honest interview to talk about Hailey\u2019s life, her tragic and untimely death, their love story, fertility journey, Crew\u2019s first days<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n

Support the Okulas by also visiting the family\u2019s GoFundMe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hailey\u2019s story has resonated with so many people. What is your reaction to the outpouring of support since she passed and since your son was born?<\/b><\/p>\n

I feel like I\u2019m almost like\u2026 two different bodies. The part of me that\u2019s grieving unbelievably is always there and it hasn\u2019t lightened. It\u2019s more than I can even express \u2014 no words could even say how empty my life feels right now. And it\u2019s hard because it\u2019s not making that part better, but another part of me is overwhelmed with how much support is flooding in.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been thinking about so many things. I\u2019ve been a fireman for over 10 years. People who know the fire service know it\u2019s so big, but also so small. Firemen have each other\u2019s backs, and there\u2019s always support. I have so many brothers and sisters on the job who would be there for me for anything. Hailey has been a part of the fire family for 10 years, and I\u2019ve always known that was there.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t even keep up with a fraction of the emails and messages I\u2019m getting \u2014 from firemen and their spouses from different states \u2014 offering condolences and support.<\/p>\n

I never imagined the nursing community was that tight. Hailey [had] such a trusted following of so many people \u2014 it\u2019s unbelievable. I like to think that I\u2019m a pretty special person, but I know that this wouldn\u2019t have been national news if not for her. That\u2019s just how special and impactful she was.<\/p>\n

The nursing community is stepping up so much. It\u2019s Hailey\u2019s footprint that\u2019s making all of this happen. I had a rough morning today and I just thought \u201cshe\u2019s still making things happen even when she\u2019s not physically here. She\u2019s getting people to support me and Crew so I can figure things out.\u201d<\/p>\n

She helped millions of people as an educator. Her nursing community is buying her products, sending messages, praying, donating. The support is overwhelming.<\/p>\n

Hailey would love to see her business thriving like this. She worked so hard. Seeing it flourish \u2014 and knowing people are learning about who she was \u2014 brings me joy.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Celebrity Deaths of 2025: Stars We\u2018ve Lost<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tFrom filmmakers to artists, Hollywood lost several stars in 2025. News broke on January 4 that Aubrey Plaza\u2019s estranged husband, Jeff Baena, died one day earlier at the age of 47. Per medical examiner records viewed by Us Weekly, Baena died by suicide. \u201cThis is an unimaginable tragedy,\u201d Plaza\u2019s rep said in a statement to [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Her spirit seems to still be here in how you\u2019re experiencing everything.<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeah, I\u2019m a spiritual guy, but I\u2019ve never really believed in seeing signs or things like that. But I prayed hard for signs that Hailey was watching over me, and every day something happens. Even this interview alone. I\u2019m sitting in her office now, looking around at everything she built. She was a go-getter, and that drive is living on. She\u2019s continuing to make sure me and Crew are going to be okay in these unprecedented times.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of Hailey Okula\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What do you think that says about her?<\/b><\/p>\n

I have so many words, and I don\u2019t know how to describe it in a sentence. She loved nursing. She loved being an entrepreneur. She loved helping others \u2014 the nursing community, my family, everyone. She loved giving back.<\/p>\n

She wanted to make a difference for new nurses. A lot of times new grads get bullied by older nurses, and Hailey was adamant about fostering a healthy environment. She stood up for new grads, even if it meant calling people out on her platform of a million followers. That\u2019s how loyal she was.<\/p>\n

She started this business to help nurses find jobs. When she was looking, she\u2019d click links and get nowhere. It was exhausting and frustrating. So she started an Instagram page<\/a>, spent her whole day filtering links, and posted verified job listings for new grads. It removed a burden from them. Her giving spirit created a business that grew and grew. We dreamed of that business letting us spend more time with Crew and build our life together.<\/p>\n

She loved helping people.<\/b><\/p>\n

Exactly. More than anything. I want to say how much of an impact she had \u2014 especially sharing our fertility journey. It was a big deal for her to open up about that. She wanted her followers to connect with her and feel less alone. A lot of nurses are trying to start families too, and she knew her story could reassure them.<\/p>\n

We talked about sharing it. I was hesitant and wanted to keep it private. But the next morning, I saw a huge post about it on Instagram. I wasn\u2019t mad. I wasn\u2019t surprised. That\u2019s just Hailey.<\/p>\n

We were flooded with messages from people thanking her for sharing. It helped so many. Even at work, in a firehouse where that stuff isn\u2019t usually discussed, guys started opening up about their own struggles. She made an impact far beyond nursing.<\/p>\n

Can you tell me about your and Hailey\u2019s journey to parenthood?<\/b><\/p>\n

We got married on September 16, 2022. We were both really healthy people \u2014 she was a Division I athlete, and I\u2019m a fireman. We love working out and taking care of ourselves, so we didn\u2019t expect any trouble trying to have a baby. We just wanted everything lined up perfectly first.<\/p>\n

We started trying right after the wedding. A few months in, nothing happened. That\u2019s normal, we thought. But after eight months, we started to wonder. We both got tested. She had something minor that might make it a little harder, but nothing that should\u2019ve stopped us from getting pregnant.<\/p>\n

I did a full semen analysis \u2014 just trying to be supportive \u2014 and it came back that while I had plenty, the activity and shape of the sperm were really poor. I broke down. I crumbled. I felt like it all fell on me.<\/p>\n

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\"Hailey<\/div>
Courtesy of Hailey Okula\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s such a heavy burden.<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeah, and I knew the road ahead would be hard, but I also knew it would be so much harder for her. I apologized to her, and she didn\u2019t even cry. She just grabbed me and said, \u201cWe\u2019re a team. We\u2019ll get through this together.\u201d<\/p>\n

We decided to go forward with IVF. It was hard financially, but we were all in.<\/p>\n

Out of six embryos, one had Down syndrome, two had PKU [a rare inherited disorder also known as Phenylketonuria], one had a chromosome issue that would likely lead to miscarriage. That left us with two healthy embryos \u2014 a boy and a girl.<\/p>\n

We decided on the boy first. We wanted Crew to be the big brother. The girl, Oakley Ann, was meant to be our next baby.<\/p>\n

She would\u2019ve been an exceptional mom.<\/b><\/p>\n

She would\u2019ve been such a good mom. We had so many plans \u2014 trips, activities, dreams for Crew. She was so excited. After everything we went through, it made the moment that much more meaningful.<\/p>\n

Tell us about the moment Crew was born.<\/b><\/p>\n

She was 41 weeks, so we had to induce. We planned a vaginal birth, but after a long labor, he wasn\u2019t dropping, and we decided on a C-section. We went into the OR on Saturday morning. I was by her head, holding her hand, telling her how proud I was.<\/p>\n

We heard him cry. A tear rolled down her face. They held him up over the sheet and she said, \u201cOh s***, he\u2019s big.\u201d Everyone who knew her knew she\u2019d say something like that.<\/p>\n

They brought him to the incubator. I didn\u2019t want to leave her, but I went over and cut the cord. They told me to go with Crew to the next room, and she\u2019d be there shortly. I held her hand and told her he was beautiful, then went with the baby.<\/p>\n

You wanted her to hold him first?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes. She deserved that. We deserved that family moment. I was waiting in the room, and then the doctor came in and said her oxygen had dropped. Then [the doctor] came back shortly after and said her heart stopped \u2014 they were doing CPR.<\/p>\n

I ran to the ICU. They had gotten her pulse back, but then she coded again. I stood at the foot of her bed for an hour, holding her foot, praying, talking to her, begging her to fight. They tried everything. But they couldn\u2019t get her back.<\/p>\n

She had an amniotic fluid embolism. It\u2019s incredibly rare and devastating. Her OBGYN said they were doing everything they could, but it just took over.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t wrap my head around it. She was so healthy, everything had gone well, and then suddenly she was gone.<\/p>\n

Even in the ICU with every specialist \u2014 cardiologists, pulmonologists \u2014 no one could save her. It was just so fast, and her body was hit with everything at once: heart failure, lung failure, internal bleeding. There\u2019s no treatment protocol for this. It\u2019s just rolling with each complication as it comes and trying to keep the patient alive.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of Hailey Okula\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019re hoping her story brings awareness and possibly funding and research.<\/b><\/p>\n

Exactly. That would bring so much joy \u2014 knowing she\u2019s making a difference even now. We\u2019re speaking with Miranda, the founder of the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation<\/a>. So many people are now asking about it. Hailey would want this awareness to help save lives.<\/p>\n

Hailey is reminding me to keep going, to raise Crew the way we talked about. We were dealt a hand that seems so unfair, but I know what she\u2019d want. I\u2019m going to be an amazing dad for Crew.<\/p>\n

Are you already telling him stories about his mom?<\/b><\/p>\n

I talk to him about her constantly. I want him to know how amazing she was \u2014 how much she\u2019s still doing for us. He\u2019s going to hear about her all the time. I show him her nursing skits, her gymnastics videos. She wasn\u2019t just a brilliant entrepreneur \u2014 she was a Division I gymnast, an amazing wife, sister, daughter, and friend. She impacted so many people.<\/p>\n

Do you look at Crew as your miracle baby?<\/b><\/p>\n

Absolutely. Our families are amazing, but the bond between me and Crew \u2014 that\u2019s the connection I have with her now.<\/p>\n

Do you feel her presence?<\/b><\/p>\n

I do. I never used to believe in signs, but I\u2019ve been praying for them \u2014 clear signs that she\u2019s here. And she\u2019s showing up. The nursing community, the support, the donations \u2014 she\u2019s still making things happen.<\/p>\n

This morning, I sat in my car, not able to move. I was waiting for Hailey\u2019s friend to come over. Then I heard her voice \u2014 clear as day \u2014 calling to our dog Brody just like she used to. It snapped me out of it. I got out of the car, expecting her. But no one was there. That was her.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Influencer Hailey Okula\u2018s Husband and Son Receive More Than $285K in Donations <\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tMembers of Hailey Okula\u2019s community are coming together to support the late nursing influencer\u2019s husband and newborn baby. A GoFundMe campaign launched for Hailey\u2019s husband and son has raised more than $285,000 and posted an update on Thursday, April 3. \u201cThanks to your incredible support, Matt and Crew now have plenty of diapers, breast milk [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

She knew you needed help in that moment. That\u2019s beautiful.<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeah, I just need those signs to keep coming.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re an engineer with the Los Angeles Fire Department \u2014 you save lives. So did Hailey. In your own life, she\u2019s clearly your hero. Is that how you see her?<\/b><\/p>\n

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